10/23/2013 |
Red Sox capitalize on Cards' Game 1 miscuesThe Red Sox capitalized on Cardinals miscues in a breezy 8-1 win at Fenway Park, turning a couple of key errors into five early runs and continuing what they've done ever since the calendar flipped to October: Taking advantage of basically every opportunity.

10/23/2013 |
Back on big stage, Napoli delivers once againMike Napoli nearly won a World Series and a Series MVP Award while with Texas in 2011, losing to the Cardinals. On Wednesday night in Game 1, Napoli picked up where he left off, driving in three runs in Boston's 8-1 win over St. Louis.

10/23/2013 |
Experience in 2007 helps Lester dominate CardinalsJon Lester is a different person, a more seasoned pitcher than he was in 2007 when he wrapped up that World Series for the Red Sox over the Rockies in Game 4 at Coors Field. On Wednesday night in front of a raucous sellout home crowd at Fenway Park, Lester shut down the Cardinals on five hits and didn't allow a run in Game 1 of the current Fall Classic.

10/23/2013 |
Precision tools: Lester's gem, fast start power routThe Red Sox clearly relished being back on the big stage of the World Series, using a quick-striking and opportunistic offense and a dominant performance by Jon Lester to take an 8-1 victory over the Cardinals in Wednesday night's Game 1 at an electric Fenway Park.

10/23/2013 |
Road to the World Series: Oct. 24, 2013In an opener that went the way of the home team at every turn, featuring interesting twists from the outset, Game 1 carved a singular niche from the first inning onward, becoming an instant classic as the Road to the World Series hits full stride.

10/23/2013 |
Mo hardware: Selig to honor Rivera before Game 2Former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera will be honored before Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday at Fenway Park when he's presented with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

10/23/2013 |
After robbing grand slam, Beltran exits with injuryCarlos Beltran bruised his right rib cage while making a wall-banging, grand slam-robbing catch in the bottom of the second inning of the Cardinals' 8-1 loss to the Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday at Fenway Park. X-rays and a CT scan were negative, but Beltran's status for Game 2 is uncertain.

10/23/2013 |
Blige returns to Series stage; Yaz back at FenwayIn advance of her debut Christmas album, appropriately titled, "A Mary Christmas," singer-songwriter and producer Mary J. Blige opened the World Series with a rousing rendition of the national anthem during an elaborate pregame ceremony Wednesday night at Fenway Park.

10/23/2013 |
Yaz joins cause as MLB pitches in for veteransCarl Yastrzemski threw out the ceremonial first pitch on Wednesday night before Game 1 of the 109th World Series between the Cardinals and Red Sox -- "almost in the dirt," he said with a little relief -- and he vividly recalls his historic Triple Crown season of 1967 that ended when this same matchup of clubs produced a seven-game St. Louis victory over Boston. And the great Yaz remembers what America's relationship was with its military at that time.

10/23/2013 |
Lackey makes long-awaited return to big stageJohn Lackey has been here before, though it's understandable if you forgot. It was Game 7 of the 2002 World Series when he last took the mound on this stage, giving up only one run in five innings to a San Francisco Giants offense featuring Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent and locking up the first World Series championship in Angels history.

10/23/2013 |
After seven-week layoff, Craig returns in cleanup spotAllen Craig returned to the Cardinals' lineup on Wednesday after a seven-week layoff, and was indeed batting cleanup despite not seeing a "real" pitch since he suffered a severe left-foot sprain on Sept. 4.

10/23/2013 |
Matheny starts Robinson over Jay in Game 1As he did in the final game of the National League Championship Series, manager Mike Matheny turned to Shane Robinson, not Jon Jay, to start in center field in Game 1 of the World Series.

10/23/2013 |
Bogaerts at third for first World Series startXander Bogaerts may just be 21 years old, but he's shown Red Sox manager John Farrell that he can handle the spotlight and pressure of the postseason and the World Series.

10/23/2013 |
Timlin likes Red Sox to win Fall Classic in six gamesMike Timlin was a reliever on the 2004 Red Sox World Series club that ended the franchise's 86-year title drought, and he was back in Boston on Wednesday ahead of Game 1 predicting a "dogfight" in the rematch against the Cardinals.

10/23/2013 |
Winter League roundup: Profar propels LiceyLicey scored three runs in the first and three more in the second, broke out for eight in the third inning and put up at least one more run in every inning but the seventh. Rangers rookie Jurickson Profar went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two walks.

10/23/2013 |
Fatigued Buchholz thinks he'll start Game 4Although John Farrell hasn't officially revealed the order of his starting pitchers for the first two World Series games in St. Louis, right-hander Clay Buchholz told reporters on Wednesday that he is being lined up for Game 4 on Sunday.

10/23/2013 |
Hosmer enjoys KC's run, eager for next seasonEric Hosmer certainly was having his fun in the last four months of the season and there's little doubt how much effect he can have on the Royals' chances next season.

10/23/2013 |
Williams reportedly frontrunner for manager jobThe Nationals are looking to hire their sixth manager in team history, and they hope to make an announcement by the first week of November. As of Wednesday, D-backs third-base coach Matt Williams appeared to be the favorite to win the job, according to a baseball source.

10/23/2013 |
Oakland's Hale among first to interviewJack Zduriencik has spent the past three weeks putting together his list of managerial candidates to replace Eric Wedge and now is moving into the interviewing phase, with A's bench coach Chip Hale among the first to meet with the Mariners general manager.

10/23/2013 |
Red Sox reminiscent of Williams' '67 teamJohn Farrell's current version of the Red Sox shares a a great deal in common with Dick Williams' 1967 "Impossible Dream" team, which lost the World Series to the Cardinals in seven games.